Characters of Advent: St. John the Baptist
Part 2 in a series of 3 Conference Audios
In today’s age (for the last fifty years or so), many believe that St. Joseph is the greatest of the saints after Our Lady! Yet, since its early days, the Church has placed St. John the Baptist as the greatest and most important saint after Our Lady. Why? In Jesus’ own words, no one born of woman is greater than John. John is known as the Forerunner of the Lord. The Precursor. The last and greatest of the prophets. The last and greatest of His messengers! Isaiah (see part 1 of the series) spoke of the Lord in terms of Judgement and Comfort. He prophesized the Coming of the Lord. He also prophesizes of one who is to come before the Lord and “Prepare the Way”.
St. John then fulfills this prophesy. Where Isaiah prophesizes about the Lord, St. John Announces His Coming. Who is the first person to Announce the Coming, the arrival of the Lord? It was not Mary! It was John! The Church tells us that St. John, in the womb of his mother (St. Elizabeth), that he realizes the presence of the Lord and jumps for joy. This action then is realized by St. Elizabeth as she says the infamous words that will become part of prayer. There are two people that were Immaculately Conceived (Mary and Jesus). But there were three people born without original sin (Mary, Jesus, St. John the Baptist). John was sanctified and purified in the womb.
Hear the details, in the first and third audios.
The first audio is a special Rosary for Advent. The Rosary also includes meditations on St. John the Baptist in each of the Joyous Mysteries. Hear how John was purified, briefly in the mediation and in more detail later in the conference (audio #3).
In the second audio, 2 Gospels are read. The first is from Isaiah. Listen to the Gospel in light of what you will hear later about St. John the Baptist. The 2nd Gospel talks about Jesus leaving His flock to find the lost sheep. The meaning behind the Gospel is a lesson for us all. The Lord wants all of us to be His found sheep and to change our attitude and hearts. He wants to save all because of His Love for all of us. For each of us!
Listen to these two Gospels as a precursor to hearing more about St. John the Baptist.
In the third audio, we hear more details about St. John. The Voice as he announces the Coming of the Lord. Notice that the voice was hidden, as Jesus was hidden to the world for His first 30 years. When it was time, the Voice announced the Coming of the Lord. What made St. John special is the humbleness of recognizing that the Voice is at the service of the Word. What that means and how St. John becomes great is discussed in this audio.
In the fourth audio, hear a Gospel and Homily on Where Jesus Abides and how that should impact us all spiritually.
We pray these Conference Audio aid you in your Preparation of Advent and on your Spiritual Journey.
A Special Rosary for Advent: Joyful Mysteries With a Meditation on St. John the Baptist
Introduction: St. John the Baptist: Preparing Your Heart
The Importance and Greatness of St. John the Baptist
